You want to know the reason I’ve been drawn to deep-space imagery? Confession: I don’t considered myself a space fanatic or avid astronomer! 🤭 But I want to share with you why, over the years, I’ve kept coming back to this theme. . . . The way I see it, we live our lives between two tensions: the seen and the unseen. The “seen” is everything that’s right in front of us… everything urgent, immediate, and fleeting. Basically everything we get sucked into. The “unseen”, on the other hand, encompasses things infinitely larger in scale: our relationship with others, our relationship with God, our relationship with ourselves, and the way we wrestle with all those things. . . In our selfie/insta culture, a whole world has been built around what we see. And while there’s no inherent crime in any of it, it’s a distraction that’s costing us. We’re a generation that’s losing sight of the intangible things that, in the end, count above all else. . . That’s why I keep going back to the deep-space imagery. Just like the biggest things in our lives, the greatest things in the universe are hidden in plain sight. You don’t see the dazzling eye of a galaxy when you step outside. It’s infinitely large, but will always, to the naked eye, remain invisible. . . My hope is that my designs can be a small reminder to lift our eyes higher. To give our attention to the things that don’t break, age, or require a filter. The things that make you who you are, and make this life worth living. . . (For anyone interested, “Eye of Worlds,” was created using permanent ink markers, reverse-rendered on glass. This matted print is produced on metallic paper, and is ON SALE in my shop! You can go to cristinaford.com/shop (link in bio) and still grab one in time for Christmas. 🎄 🎁 BOGO 50% off until Tuesday!!) . . .#universe#deepspace#faith#eternal#invisible#localart#artistsoninstagram#richmond#richmondart#art#instagood#makersgonnamake#makersmovement#arttherapy#healingthroughart#aspiretoinspire#colorinspiration#seekinspirecreate#christmassale#starart#celestial#hubble#nasa#inspiration#shoplocal#richmond#rvachristmas

I had a wonderful time yesterday at the Chic-nic at @gracefarmsaz . I’m still pinching myself, making sure it wasn't a dream! The event was beautifull; @the.wanderers.table and @lakievents turned the table into a Pinterest's dream. The coffee from @tio.benz was sooo smooth. I can’t wait to see the photos from @lorenzocuevasphotography . Each vendor was so nice and fun! And connecting with people about my work was the cherry on top! One kind woman told me that it reminded her of my hometown. She didn't know that was where I grew up!

Jasmin, Chef and owner of @susspastries , did an incredible job. She crafted the menu around cherished memories; such a meaningful touch. Each course I kept thinking, "what I did to deserve such amazing food?!" It was SOOO GOOD! I just feel so incredibly lucky to have met her and to have been a part of this. So Jasmin, here's a little #loveletter to express my gratitude for you:

You are an amazing person with a heart of gold. I am inspired by your passion for bringing the community together, and I feel so honored to have been included! You challenged me to step out of my comfort zone, and I am so grateful for the experience. You believed in me and my abilities, and that trust touches my heart. I admire you for the thoughtfulness and enthusiasm you put into your work. I look up to you for wanting to bring others along with you. Meeting you has definitely been a major highlight of 2018. For some drool-worthy content, go check out her page! And if you are local, you have to try her stuff! It's soooooo good.

My art is ever evolving. I attribute this to my need to constantly be creating, but not creating the same things over and over. I never want to get stuck in a rut. This always leads to boredom and dullness in my life. So since my holiday crafting season is complete, I have moved on to other assemblage pieces. This one was inspired by my infatuation with space and the stars. There is so much we don’t know about what lies beyond our world (or our street for that matter) which has always captivated me. Thinking about how vast our world is always puts things in perspective and helps me feel a sense of gratitude for the life I do have. This is one of my new favorite pieces! Unfortunately I do not want to risk shipping it, so it won’t be available at a show until next summer 2019. If you are local and interested DM me for more information and local pick up. #assemblageart#spaceart#upcycle#cloche#upcycledart#moonart#starart#moonandstars#recycle#recycledart#bequedesign

I work at a lovely local jewelry store (Ram Jewelers) for my day job. One of the many things we do is re-selling estate pieces, which I love. Each piece is so unique and seems to bring its history along with it. I couldn’t help but draw a picture inspired by a little silver viking ship that we got in recently (swipe to see). There’s an Etsy link below if you want to check it out:) This ship obviously used to carry mini Vikings back in the day...probably has seen lots of war and sea monsters. Just putting that out there. #thanksfortheinspiration https://etsy.me/2UIWvzJ

All of the individuals who wished with me at the #EnchantedForest finished their wish by adding some "Starlight Magic" by reaching up up up to the sky. As well all know stars are full of wishing magic.